“Sometimes, the sweetest escape is the one you bake yourself.”
For Jodhpur-based entrepreneurs Pooja Balani and Narpat Singh Rathore, Miss Cheesecake & Co. began as a detour from societal pressure and turned into a dessert empire. In 2024, Pooja, who had just quit her job, faced increasing pressure to get married. Instead of conforming, she picked up a whisk and started experimenting with cheesecakes in her kitchen despite having no prior baking experience. With Narpat by her side, what began as small-scale weekend sales soon became a sensation.
The increasing demand was too much for their home kitchen to handle. So, with minimal funding, they transitioned into a commercial kitchen where they were able to accept bulk orders and experiment with new flavours. A turning point came when they started crafting their own cream cheese, which allowed them to cut costs significantly while still maintaining quality. The Lotus Biscoff flavoured cheesecake became one of their bestsellers, and within four months they sold over 25,000 cheesecakes.
The attention from Shark Tank India’s Season 4 came when they pitched their business, seeking ₹30 lakh for 5% equity. Despite receiving no deals, their story impressed OYO’s founder, Ritesh Agarwal, who offered to help them with mentorship and gave his number to them. With his guidance, their sales tripled.
Their sales skyrocketed thanks to Instagram. Their immensely styled videos helped them gain over a million followers, and with a single reel hitting 60 million views, their followers transformed from passive followers to loyal customers.
They now offer Miss Cheesecake six new artisanal flavors, with the customer loved ones being priced between ₹120-₹140. Their focus lies on premium taste and affordable pricing, turning their desserts into ideal treats for celebrations, comfort, or simple daily indulgence.
Looking ahead, the founders envision “a Miss Cheesecake in every city” through a hub-and-spoke model central kitchens supplying 100-square-foot kiosks, run by trained staff. The first step: a central kitchen in Jaipur which has been achieved, now the aim is to reach Delhi-NCR.
At heart, Miss Cheesecake & Co. is about more than dessert, it’s about defiance, passion, and carving your own destiny. It’s a testament to how bold choices and baked dreams can change lives. Miss Cheesecake & Co. isn’t just serving desserts, they’re serving hope, one slice at a time.
